Chapter Text
Denali awoke to bright sunlight and freezing cold. The ground she lay upon was hard and prickly and there was something warm poking into her side. Denali smiled sleepily to herself and snuggled further into her litter-mates' sides breathing in deeply to get a whiff of their familiar scents. She paused for a second and frowned, that wasn't Forest or Sierra, where were her siblings!?
Her eyes flew open and she took in her surroundings she was under a bush with a black lump of fur at her side. Her sides heaved ice rushing through her veins flowing into her throat choking away any sound she might've made even as she remembered the events of the night before.
"Hey newcomer you're awake!" a fluffy gray tom said cheerfully as he padded into the den.
He paused for a moment when he noticed Denali's condition concern making its way onto his face.
"Hey are you okay?"
Denali shook her head.
"Okay... can you tell me what's wrong?" the tom said as he settled in beside her.
She tried to speak but she couldn't force anything past the ice in her throat. She shook her head no.
"that's okay, can you try to take a couple deep breaths with me?"
Denali nodded and tried to slow her breathing. She felt her heartbeat slow just a bit and then Luna groaned in her sleep which sent Denali's heart racing all over again. She couldn't let Luna see her like this! Luna already didn't like her, if she saw Denali panic she might decide that the kit was more trouble than she was worth and leave her all alone!
"Hey, would you like to go somewhere more private?" the large tom asked softly.
Denali nodded.
"Alright, follow me"
The two made their way out of the den into a snowy clearing. There were some other cats milling about, completing chores or gossiping over food. Denali shrunk a bit trying to hide behind the larger cat.
"Don't worry we won't be out here very long," the tom smiled gently.
He led her to the far side of the clearing to a shaded den within a cracked boulder. The den was dark and quiet and cool, not the frigid cold of outside but the pleasant coolness of tile in the early morning.
"Briarhair?" came a voice from further within the den.
"Hey Whitebelly, one of the newcomers is having some trouble. Could we use your den to calm down?" Briarhair said as an orange tom made his way into Denali's line of sight.
"Of course," the tom said, a concerned look in his eyes.
He turned towards her and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Denali shrugged.
"I can get you something to make you sleepy. Would you like that?" Whitebelly asked
She shook her head. She didn't think sleeping would help.
"I was thinking we could just hang out and have some quiet time, How does that sound?" Briarhair asked.
Denali hesitated before nodding.
Whitebelly's face lit up like he'd just realized something amazing, "Oh! I know just the spot. Follow me!"
The Tom led them to a more secluded corner of the den. It was surrounded by cracks in the cracks in the boulder covered in shriveled dry plants. On the floor were several lumps made of various materials.
"This is where I usually sleep," said Whitebelly angling his tail, "there's extra nests over here."
Denali reluctantly put her paw into one of the bowl shaped masses. It was certainly a bit softer than the ground she'd slept on the night before she thought as she curled up in the warm nest.
For a moment she let herself feel all the hurt she had felt in the days prior, the loss of her litter-mates and the escape from that surprisingly temporary home. Denali felt her fur rise on end and she curled into herself as sound finally left her mouth in soft whimpers that soon turned into wails. She felt a paw press against her and heard Briarhair whispering soft assurances letting her know that she was safe and she could let her emotions out.
After a while the sounds leaving her mouth quieted and her breathing began to slow.
"How are you feeling?" asked Whitebelly.
"Sleepy," Denali croaked while struggling to keep her eyes open.
"You can sleep here for a while," said Whitebelly, "I'm sure you're friend won't mind."
She grunted already giving into the heavy feeling of sleep.